Updated 1030
Sport for Business has just seen the list of nominations which number three as outlined below for the presidency of the OCI and a total of 18 candidates for possible election to the Executive Committee of the OCI.
Willie O’Brien has been nominated by Ice Hockey and Wrestling in addition to his own Archery Ireland. Bernard O’Byrne and Sarah O’Shea have been nominated by their own Associations.
Colm Barrington from Sailing and Martin Fleming from Taekwondo will contest the election for 1st Vice President, Colin Buckley from Weightlifting and Robert Norwood from the Snowsports Association of Ireland will go head to head for the 2nd Vice President position.
Incumbent Honorary General Secretary Dermot Henihan, who was being touted as a potential candidate for the top job will instead stand for re election to the same position he currently holds but will face strong competition from Sarah O’Shea, once Deputy CEO of the FAI and nominated now by the Snowsports Association.
The Treasurer position will be contested by Nicky Jermyn from Badminton Ireland and William Kennedy nominated by Archery Ireland, Ice Hockey and Wrestling.
There will also be seven additional members elected to the Executive Committee from a ballot of 18 candidates. Athletes representative Darren O’Neill is the only current Committee member standing for re-election other than those going for the officer positions.
He is joined on the list by Colin Buckley from Weightlifting, Con Cronin from Rowing, Grainne Culliton from Volleyball, Robert Downes from Modern Pentathlon, Georgina Drumm from Athletics, Martin Fleming from Taekwondo, Ciaran Gallagher from Gymnastics, Aaron Guli from Ice Hockey, Robert Johnson from Hockey, Fintan Lyons from Olympic Handball, Patrick John Nolan from Cycling, Karen O’Sullivan from Ice Skating, Tom Rafter from Fencing, Joe Reynolds and Sally Anne Tobin from Equestrian Sport, Denis Toomey from Paralympics Ireland and Lochlann Walsh from Triathlon.
These nominations were made before last week’s deadline and the new Committee will be formed at an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held in Dublin on February 9th.
From earlier today…
We understand that there are three names that have been put forward for the Presidency with Dermot Henihan not believed to now be in the running.
Acting President Willie O’Brien was suggested by Hickey as a successor at the start of last year when he made clear he would not be seeking an eighth four year term though events over the summer may have lessened the importance of that imprimatur.
Against him will be Sarah Keane, the CEO of Swim Ireland and Bernard O’Byrne who heads Basketball Ireland.
Keane was part of the crisis sub committee established in the wake of Pat Hickeys arrest in Rio. Seen to be on the ‘reform’ side of the outgoing committee she crossed swords publicly with outgoing honorary secretary Dermot Henihan over a letter he sent attributing the high level of advisor costs in the aftermath of Rio firmly at the foot of that sub committee.
Ciaran O’Catháin, former President of Athletics Ireland was on the same group but resigned at the end of last year. His successor at the governing body for the highest profile Olympic Sport Georgina Drumm is going forward for election to the Executive Committee.
O’Byrne is a former CEO of the FAI and sits on the Governing Body for European Basketball. He has not previously been involved in the OCI but was central in terms of posing questions of the outgoing group in relation to governance and reputation.
Cycling Ireland have nominated PJ Nolan for election to the Executive while others believed to be on the list to be published today include former FAI Deputy CEO Sarah O’Shea, athlete representative Darren O’Neill.
The electorate for the vote comprises only OCI stakeholders including the affiliated National Governing Bodies. It is small, though still deeply divided over the way in which the OCI has been run in the past and conducted itself through the dark days of the end of last year.
Recommendations from Deloitte are awaiting the new Executive Committee when it was elected. How deep the reforms go and how quickly the organisation can rebuild its credibility with sport and in the wider community of Government and potential sponsors are among the most interesting challenges facing Irish sport in the first quarter of the year.
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